Brick and Mortar: Travel part 2.

Essay by MechilUniversity, Master'sA+, February 2006

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Brick and Mortar to Web Travel

It is safe to say that the travel industry has taken its own proverbial journey from exclusively brick and mortar operations to all points in the world - via a mere click of the mouse. Today, most consumers' travel needs can be satisfied on the web. However, in spite of the public's hunger for convenience and technology, successful brick and mortar travel agencies do still exist. All travel agencies may not embrace the on-line way of doing business; although, in order to protect their potential to survive and thrive in the future, brick and mortar agencies should understand how to transition - or at least expand - to the web. To that end, we will examine the supply chain and what it would take for a brick and mortar travel agency to transition to an on-line business and compete with sites such as Expedia.com

and Travelocity.com

A Brick and Mortar Travel Agency

A Destination Travel Agency is one example of an exclusively brick and mortar travel business in Henderson, Nevada. "Although the agency has a webpage, the site is not updated on a regular basis...their website is designed to provide general travel mode and destination information only, and includes contact phone numbers to the Henderson office" (Personal Communication, Jade, 2006). "A Destination Travel Agency is an affiliate of vacations.com (2006), which provides on-line information and referrals to a network of over 6000 travel agencies, including A Destination." Both A Destination and vacations.com web pages provide directions to brick and mortar business and do not include links to make actual travel purchases. A Destination is, for all intensive purposes, a full-service, stand-alone, brick and mortar travel agency.

A Destination Supply Chain

In essence, A Destination has been limping along with a brick and mortar model...